Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Making a Dress the Nez Perce Way

My current WIP is set among the Nez Perce Indians and I've been reading a lot about them.

For a woman to make a dress she had to first tan two deer hides. That meant soaking the hides in water, then scraping the meat and fat from one side and the hair from the other with sharp stones. They were stretched then she worked the brain of the deer into the hide making it a soft leather.

When the hides were ready to make into a dress, she used a bone awl to punch holes and sinew or buckskin string to sew the skins together. The awl was used to make a hole and the end of the buckskin was moistened with saliva then rolled on their thigh to shape and tighten it. When the end dried it was then pushed through the holes made by the awl. The shoulder seams were constructed by sewing the back legs of the hide together. The sleeves were only elbow length. The tail at the neckline of the dress was folded down to form a faux yoke. The sides were sewn together and at the bottom of the dress, four half circular pieces were sewn between the neck and leg extensions of the hide to even out the hem and give more fullness for walking and riding.

The hair side of the hide was placed against the body for softness and warmth.

Fringes were added at the bottom, sleeves, and sided seams for ornamentation. The yoke and sleeves were solidly beaded. Some ceremonial dresses with all the beading could weigh up to 40 pounds. Every day dresses had minimal beading.

I didn't get a clear idea of how long this would all take, but I'm sure it would be a week or longer to make one garment. I'm pretty happy that I can purchase my fabric and use my sewing machine when I get the urge to make a garment.

They cooked with the fat either by frying the fry bread or by putting it in with the dried and mashed roots and meat. The meat they either dried or made soup and the deer hair was used for ornamentation, insulation, and charms. In another post I'll tell you how they used buffalo hair. Something I would have never thought of!

Thanks for sharing this piece of history. I'm not sure I like the part about using the brains. Kind of creeps me out to think of doing that part. It's good to know though. Next time I read a historical romance that mentions a buckskin dress, I'll have a much better understanding.

When I wrote, A Treasure For Sara, my hero was a trapper. I learned about tanning hide. (Ugh) The process of tanning, which the Nez Perce would have used, took from several weeks to months, just to tan the hide. So, I suspect the actually sewing didn't take as much time as the tanning.

Good info. I'm wondering how the woman nursed her baby. I thought she might have a dress with a laced up front or maybe she'd undo laces at the side of her dress, nurse on one side, relace and unlace the other side and continue nursing the child. Also I wondered if her breasts "leaked" as some do, if the buckskin would repel the milk so it wouldn't stain her dress. Ditto with menstrual and childbirth blood. Sometimes these women were traveling at such times. I also read Caroline James' book. On p. 80, she mentions using buffalo hide with the hair on it or other hides with fur for menstrual blood. Also buckskin with milkweed on it. All was buried afterward. I wonder how they kept the hides in place. I also have a Nez Perce woman in the book I'm working on now who gives birth shortly after the Big Hole battle, hence my interest.

I do have one of theese dresses,im trying to sell, it does weigh around 40 pounds. If anyone knows of anybody in the tribe that would be interested reply and let me know, it is made of bucksin,with beading, and teeth. I can send a pic. I believe it is vintage, and it has glass beads.

SUBMISSIONS

We are currently looking for submissions in this line and for our Native American Series "Earth Songs"

For Earth Songs:The stories can be set anywhere in the United States among any Native American tribe, but must take place between 1870 and 1890. Each story should involve a Native American hero, heroine, or both. Historical accuracy is essential.

We're looking for believable stories, 40K and under in length, with fully developed characters and a happily ever after ending.